Athena
Life in Africa Life in Africa was harsh and cruel, many Africans were captured and sold to America to become slaves.It was estimated that over 80,000 Africans annually crossed the Atlantic to spend the rest of their lives being a slave. Capture Most slaves were captured in battles or kidnapped, then some were sold into slavery. They would have to go through fear during the capture because of not knowing what was going on or where they were going and what would happen. After the capture they would have to go through fear and pain because of where they were and how they have to get use to a new environment. The Middle Passage The 50 days journey on the ship was horrible, there were hundreds of slaves in the ship, the slaves were tightly packed up in the small cramped area less than a meter high which leads them to have no space to sit up therefore they have to lie down. During the journey many slaves died because the hygiene was so terrible that many slaves caught disease such as dysentery and scurvy, they were the major killer. Once a slave caught disease they had to be either thrown off board or poisoned to death. One of the main reasons many slaves died apart from diseases was because of the pain they were suffering from the torture, the pain and torture were so unbearable that they jumped of the boat, committing suicide. Arrival in America Slaves auctions were often advertised once the slave ship arrives. Once the slaves get off the ship, they would be washed and cover with grease or tar to look healthier, they would also be branded with a hot iron to identify them as slaves. During the slave auction the slaves would have to stand on a platform to be seen by the buyers. The first kind of auction was where the auctioneer would start a price, higher price for young, fit slaves and lower price for older, very young or sick slaves. Whichever customer was willing to give the higher price will get the slave. Another kind of auction would be the 'Grab and Go' auction. All people who want to get a slave that day would pay the trader certain amount of money then the trader would give the buyer a ticket for the slave they had paid for. At the sound of the drumroll the slave pen would open and the buyers then would rush in and grab the slaves they want. After getting the slaves they want, they would check out their slaves by giving their ticket or tickets back to the trader. Life in America Slaves would either have to work in sugar, tobacco plantations or work in households. The slaves in plantations would have to work from sunrise till sunset even children and elderlies were included. The masters were very cruel and inhuman they treat the slaves as objects rather than living things and the slaves were often tortured. If they did something wrong or something, that didn’t please the master, they would have to suffer torture. Torture includes being whipped, getting hit by chains, and all inhuman tortures you can think of.